Confrontational
by Write-To-You
Summary: Barry Allen is in need of some real talk. Caitlin delivers it to him. (Set post 5x18)


**Author's Note: Okayyyy this rant is ****_optional_**** reading so skip it if you want to XD**

**I LOVE Danielle Panabaker; she did an ****_awesome_**** job directing 5x18, and I'm so so so so proud that our girl is the first female director of the Flash :) GO HER! **

**That being said, there were a lot of things about the episode plot that made me so darn annoyed. Honestly- I think that was intentional... the storyline wasn't supposed to be butterflies and sunshine and honestly that's fine. But regardless, here's my list of "most annoying things" **

**1: How pissed off everyone was at Sherloque, and how they took it out on him. Like come on. He was just doing his job! He was being a detective. Besides- if he had actually told Iris what was going on like she got mad at him for not doing, she wouldn't have believed him without proof. But of course when he waits for proof, she gets mad at him for not telling her sooner. **

**2: How Iris went about giving Nora a chance. Maybe it's because I was fresh off of reading Choco's AMAZING story (you da best, bud ;) about how Caitlin went down to comfort Nora in the Pipeline, but seeing Iris storm down and be all like "you better not make me regret this" as if she was being somehow like ****_forced_**** into releasing Nora... like it really triggered me. **

**3: BARRY GOES AND THROWS NORA BACK IN HER TIME. I'm sorry. You know what- no, I'm ****_not_**** sorry- I'm ****_angry_****. I am so so so so angry- not just because he sent back to her time, but because he didn't say goodbye; didn't give her a hug; didn't tell her he loved her. He knows ****_exactly_**** how hard it is to grow up without a parent. A real, caring father would never do something like that. I was kinda disgusted.**

**So OKAY there's my ****_gigantic _****rant cause hiiiii it's me love y'all enjoy the story :) **

**(oh and sorry for the mild bad language in the first line I rly couldn't get around using a swear and umm wow this is the first swear I've put in a story okay XD)**

"What the _hell_ where you thinking?"

Barry turned around to see Caitlin Snow standing behind him, her auburn hair pushed away from her face in neat waves and her normally sweet brown eyes flashing a dangerous, furious blue.

He wasn't sure exactly what to say to such an attack, so he just stood there, blinking.

"Sending Nora back to her own time?!" Caitlin continued, her voice raising in volume with each word. "_Forcing_ her to leave when she needs you the most? You are supposed to be her _father_, Barry. Real, good fathers don't leave their daughters on purpose. Did you even say goodbye?"

"Cait-" Barry started.

"Don't '_Cait_' me," Caitlin snapped, her voice carrying a diamond-hard edge. "I get that you're frustrated that she went to the Reverse Flash, even after she knew what he did to your mother. But you heard her story. Nora was completely alone. She lost her best friend, she felt like her mother betrayed her... she barely even knew where her father was. God knows where I or Cisco was in all of that." She shook her head, disgusted, but Barry wasn't sure at what exactly... or who. "You _know_ how manipulative Eobard was- _is_. Do you really blame her for getting played by him? We all did, and we were in fairly sound states of mind and emotion. Nora was being torn apart."

"You think I don't know that?!" Barry yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm trying to _protect _her, Caitli-"

"Enough with the protecting!" Caitlin cried. "How can you say you're protecting her when you're throwing her back into her time, _alone_, without anyone to turn to for help or sympathy?"

"Iris is in that time," Barry protested.

"The Iris in Nora's time is _clearly_ different than the Iris here," Caitlin argued. "Regardless of her reasoning, she still put that chip in Nora, lied about who you were, and seemingly kept the rest of Team Flash a secret from her. Nora is going to be expecting to go to the Iris in her time and have her be like the Iris she's gotten to know here. That's not how it's going to work, Barry."

Barry took a heavy seat and leaned forward, rubbing his forehead. All of the fight had gone out of him. Caitlin, for her part, wasn't that angry anymore either. She was just tired. She wished the Barry would stop acting like such a moody teenager that had gotten stabbed in the back.

"Think about it, Barry," Caitlin said gently, pulling up a chair so she could sit next to him. "All Nora wanted to do was get to know you. Now you've gone and left her without a real goodbye. How do you think she feels, knowing that she might never get to see you again? I can imagine it would be even harder then it used to be now that she's actually gotten to meet you."

"I left the timeline where everyone I loved was alive," Barry argued, looking up. "If I could handle it, so could she."

"Yes, but Barry, that was your choice," Caitlin reminded him. "You _chose_ to leave Flashpoint because _you_ decided it was the right thing to do. You made this decision for Nora."

Barry scrubbed his hands through his hair. "So what did you expect me to do? Let her stay for the rest of her life? How was that supposed to work?"

Caitlin shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. But having her leave now... it just doesn't seem right."

"Yeah, well, none of this is 'right'," Barry muttered bitterly. "She went and consorted with my _worst enemy_, Caitlin. The Reverse Flash! It can't get any lower than that."

"Goodness gracious Barry, do you _really_ think that Nora was going out of her way to hurt you? She didn't even know you were the Flash when she went to him for help the first time!"

Barry started to speak.

"And yes," Caitlin cut him off. "I know that she went back to him even after you told her that he killed your mother. But let's be honest- what else could she do? She needed to stop Cicada. She didn't know how."

"She could have _told me what was going on_!" Barry bellowed, leaping to his feet to get in her face. "You're _so stuck_ on the fact that she felt alone and only had the Reverse Flash to turn to. But she had her _father HERE TO TALK TO_!"

"Yeah?!" Caitlin yelled, leaping up and forced to do a slight backbend as he loomed over her. "Does she really?! She tells you and you just _dump her back in her own time_!"

Barry's face drained of color and he fell back into his chair, chest heaving. "Oh my God," he whispered, his eyes horrified. "Caitlin, what did I _do_?"

She knelt down in front of him, unable to stay mad at him when his face was that pained, and slid her hand into his. He glanced down at her like he hadn't even realized she was there. "I threw my daughter away when she needed me the most. How can I call myself a father if that's how I treat my child?"

His eyes welled up in tears and Caitlin wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You were upset," she murmured in his ear, suddenly switching to defending his actions instead of attacking them. This always happened when it came to Barry. She was so sure that she was _furious_ at him and would never change her mind and then the second he began beating himself up she realized she could never stay mad at him. "You were hurting. We make mistakes when we're like that. You just... you happen to be able to make bigger mistakes than others because you have bigger... capabilities."

"Why didn't anyone stop me?" Barry whispered brokenly. "Nora is stuck there all alone. She'll never forgive me, Caitlin, never. _I'll_ never forgive me."

"Get up," Caitlin ordered, hauling him abruptly to his feet. "Get up, get a hold of yourself, and run to her. Bring her back her. _Talk_ to her. Nora made a big mistake when she was hurting, just like you just did. If you can forgive her, then I'm sure she can forgive you."

Barry wiped his face with the heel of his hand. He gave Caitlin curious look. "Why did you... why did you come here and- and yell at me like you did? -Don't get me wrong, it's what I needed to hear. But... Nora's not even..."

"My daughter?" Caitlin completed, shrugging a little awkwardly. "No, but she's my non-biological niece. Not only that, but she is an intelligent, gifted, beautiful, incredible young woman. And, you know... I know what it's like to lose a father. And what you'd do to get him back."

Barry's eyes welled again but he kept hold of himself as he gave Caitlin's arm a quick rub. "Thank you," he murmured sincerely, eyes locked on her's. "Sometimes I guess I just need someone to knock some sense into me."

Caitlin snickered. "Oh, Frost was all for someone literally_ knocking_ sense into you. But I thought maybe you just needed some verbal sparring instead."

Barry shook his head and chuckled. "That Frost, always looking out for me." He glanced at his watch. "I should probably go."

"Don't be too long," Caitlin teased, winking at him. "Grace is still on the lose and we're gonna need you to stop her, for once and for all."

He grinned. "Back in a flash." He was about to run off when he paused and turned around. "You know... I always saw you as being fairly non-confrontational."

"I generally am," Caitlin shrugged, smiling slightly even as her cheeks colored with embarrassment. "But you know... sometimes someone needs the sense knocked into them."

Barry's grin widened, stretching his eyes into creases. "It's okay," he assured her. "I think I kinda like your confrontational side."

With that, he was gone in a flash.

**Author's Note: Love how I probably spent longer on the first A.N. than the story. Annnnnd also spent longer on the thumbnail cover (BUT I LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT OMG). Also love how this was basically me yelled at Barry through Caitlin. Heh XD **


End file.
